The Heart Of A Wolf
by DarkWingsDarkWords48
Summary: Young Regina meets a certain werewolf in the forest instead of a stable boy, and becomes fast friends. As their love for one another develops, they face a decision - stay in their controlling households or take the risk of leaving their lives behind, together. Regina/Ruby (Red);RedQueen; AU fic; Oneshot for RedQueen Week Day 3: Not Quite Canon; NOW Twoshot, Day 7: Magic included
1. The Heart Of A Wolf

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any related characters. They all belong to Disney/ABC and their affiliated partners. I write this only for my enjoyment (and hopefully yours).**_

_**A/N: **__Alright, here's a oneshot I wrote for Red Queen (Ruby x Regina) week. It's for Day 3 – Not Quite Canon day. I chose the prompt of "What if Red was Regina's first love and not Daniel."_

_This could be taken a few ways (like Regina never meeting Daniel and then meeting Ruby well into her life as Queen, etc.), I chose to go with a young Regina, and take a little bit of liberty to push Ruby's timeline backwards in time so she is a 16 year old when Regina is 18 (which is when she meets Daniel in the show). _

_I also decided to experiment with a different writing style here, going with present tense (which I rarely use), so there may be some tense errors throughout that I don't catch. So, here it is, I hope you guys like it (one warning, there's a bit of blood/gore at the end of the chapter, just beware if that's not something you can handle)._

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**The Heart Of A Wolf**

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><p>Regina first meets her as she rides Rocinante through the forest. Her mother has left that morning, so her father gives her permission to ride as long as she pleases. She forgoes the open fields that she takes her lessons on, and enters the forest that surrounds her father's lands. Cora's stinging lashes of magic and the feeling of being suspended helplessly in the air still lingers from the previous night, her punishment for disappointing her mother. They're becoming more common these days, and each punishment seems harsher.<p>

She dearly loves her father, but he has no backbone when it comes to Cora. When Regina is punished, he looks away or leaves her to her mother's violent ministrations. Regina wonders if he soothes his conscience with the fact that the magic leaves no visible marks. Only marks that reach down to her heart and scar her soul.

Regina blinks away her tears, and focuses on the trail she has discovered into the forest. It is narrow, and deer likely use it as they travel, but she finds it challenging, with enough low branches and fallen logs to keep her attention. As the forest around her becomes denser, and some of the broad-leafed trees give way to pines and other needled trees, she forces down her anger at her mother and the betrayal she feels from her father. She bends lower, closer to Rocinante's back, and the air that whips through her hair and flaps and snaps at the tail of her riding coat also dries her eyes.

Ahead she sees a large tree trunk, freshly fallen across the trail, its bark not yet matted with lichen and fungus. She urges Rocinante faster, and as he nears the log, he leaps, and this is when she feels most alive, soaring through the air for these precious seconds as if she were a bird. He lands gracefully, and she feels the leaves of a low branch slap her face as the trees close in even further.

They ride through the morning, and she knows she should stop to eat the lunch she has packed in her saddlebag, but the sight of a massive tree lying across the trail ahead catches her attention. For a brief moment she feels a frisson of fear at how tall the fallen trunk us, but she knows that Rocinante can make the leap.

It is only as he clears the top of the tree that she realizes the mistake of making that leap. She sees a flash of red, and realizes they are about to land on a young woman in a bright red cloak who had been kneeling next to a wicker basket.

"Look out!" She shouts, and the woman's head snaps toward her.

Regina can see the girl's eyes widen, and is relieved when she throws herself backwards, sending her basket tumbling. She reigns in Rocinante after they land, and trots him back toward the woman. As she nears, she slows him to a stop, and quickly dismounts and fastens him to a nearby branch.

She rushes over to the girl, who is slowly sitting up from where she had thrown herself. "I am so very sorry; I didn't expect anyone to be out here. Are you injured?"

"I'm alright," the girl says in a light voice as she accepts Regina's hand and uses it to help her stand.

Regina holds her arm as she catches her balance, and takes in the sight of her. She looks younger than Regina, perhaps sixteen years of age to Regina's own barely-eighteen. She wears brown leather boots, quite similar to Regina's own, though they are a much rougher cut of leather. A deep green corset covers a white peasant blouse above her long brown skirt, but what catches Regina's eye the most is the beautiful red brocade cloak that the girl wears.

The girl smiles at her with full pink lips, and Regina feels something inside her flutter. Warm green eyes, the color of the crashing waves on the coast Regina's father had once taken her to, flick up to meet Regina's own brown eyes. "Thank you," the girl says.

Regina allows a thin smile to her lips, though she feels it tremble slightly. "Don't thank me, dear, I could have killed you!"

The girl squeezes Regina's hand that is still holding her own. "Really, it's okay," she says with a pretty laugh. "You couldn't have seen me, and I got to learn that I probably should avoid the trails while I'm foraging."

Regina nods slightly, and this time the smile on her lips is more confident.

"Everyone calls me Red," the girl says suddenly.

"Oh," the word comes softly from Regina. "I am Regina. It is nice to meet you, Red."

Red lifts her hand up to her long brown hair – Regina thinks it may be even longer than her own – and brushes at it hands gloved in red leather, sending twigs and bits of leaves that had caught in it during her tumble, fluttering to the forest floor. "Do I look a fright?"

Regina shook her head. "You are slightly dusty, but you look fine. Just let me…" she trails off, and takes off her riding gloves and helps the girl pick a few leaves from her hair that she had missed.

"There, better," Regina says, stepping back.

Red looks shyly at her, and then her eyes drift over Regina's shoulder. Regina sees a pained look flit across Red's face, and a whimper escapes her lips. "Oh, no," she groans.

Regina turns to follow her gaze, and feels guilt pool in her stomach when she sees the wicker basket the girl had been using was upended. Berries and mushrooms lay on the forest floor, and she realizes that Rocinante crushed most of them beneath his hooves when they landed.

"I'm sorry," she gasps, a hand rising to her lips as she turns back to Red. "I've ruined your entire day, haven't I?"

Red sighed, still looking mournfully at the crushed goods that she had likely spent all morning collecting. "It's alright, really, I… my granny won't be happy about it, but at least I didn't get squished by a horse," she says, trying and failing to smile brightly.

Regina rests her hand on the girl's arm. "Come, I'll help you gather more, and your granny won't have to know."

"Really?" Red asks, her eyes scanning Regina's face hopefully.

"It's the least I can do."

"Okay, thank you, Regina," Red says, resting her own hand over Regina's.

She lets go moments later, and then shifts her hands onto her hips, surveying the damage to her harvest. "Right, um, have you ever gone mushrooming?"

Regina shook her head. "I can't say that I have."

Red chews on her lip for a moment. "Okay, I'll gather the mushrooms, because some of them out here can be poisonous if you haven't learned what to look out for, and many of those look similar to good mushrooms. Could you gather berries?" At Regina's nod, she continues. "The wood strawberries are ripe, and there are many patches around here, and many of the blackberries have turned, so if you could gather those?"

"I believe I can handle that," Regina smiles, and tucks her gloves into the pockets of her riding coat.

They talk as they go to work, the basket in between them as they kneel in the forest soil.

"Do you come into this forest often, Regina?" Red asks as she spots a clump of small white mushrooms near a rotted-out log.

"When I am able to. I believe this is the farthest I have ventured in, though."

Red nods to her, and gestures to the east where the forest becomes denser. "I live in the forest in a cabin with my granny. It's beautiful out here, but we're half a day's walk from the nearest town, so I don't get to meet many people, unless she sends me into town to buy something. So, it really is nice that I've met you." She cocks her head as she places several of the mushrooms in the basket. "Where do you live?"

Regina points in the opposite direction that Red had gestured. "I live on the land just to the west of the forest, with my mother and father."

"Ah, so, on Prince Henry's land? Where – uh, what is it that –"

Regina chuckles as Red stumbles over the question, and takes pity on her. "Prince Henry is my father."

"Oh!" Red gasps, her eyes going wide. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize, Your Majesty, or is it Your Grace? Your Highness? Should I have curtsied?"

Regina leans over the basket, and rests her hand on the girl's knee. "No, please, you were perfect. I have enough of the bowing and honorifics at home, it gets quite tiresome. It is… refreshing talking with you like this. Just call me Regina, and no curtseying."

For a moment, Regina wishes she had not told the girl who her father was, but she has found herself unable to even wiggle around the truth while talking to her. Her fears that Red might now begin to treat her differently are wiped away the next moment when Red nods, and takes a deep breath, the look in her eyes the same as it was before the revelation.

The basket is filling quickly as both young women work, and when Red has enough mushrooms, she scoots the basket over and kneels down next to Regina, joining her in gathering berries.

Regina eats a berry for every ten she picks, and finds the blackberries quite juicy. Red glances over at her as she pops another into her mouth, and she winks at Regina and does the same with a strawberry. They talk about simple things – things they enjoy – but do not speak for long about their families. Regina wonders if Red is as dissatisfied with her life as she is.

Red is fascinated by Rocinante, and Regina tells her how her father picked him as a babe and gave him to Regina for her birthday, and how he helped her raise and train him. Red tells Regina of warm winter nights curled up next to the fireplace in her grandmother's snow-covered cabin, and the sense of wonder she feels on the nights she hears the forest's wolves howling together.

As the basket reached its capacity, Regina can already feel her stomach has been stuffed full with her snacking. She is thankful her mother will not be home, as she does not think she will be able to eat dinner. Regina glances at Red, and finds herself staring at the other girl, whose lips are no longer pink, but stained red from strawberries.

Red seems to sense her gaze, and turns her head fully to look at Regina. Regina sees her eyes drop down to Regina's own lips, and a giggle escapes Red's lips, making Regina realize her own are likely stained purple by her stomach-full of blackberries. Regina's lips spread into a wide smile and she finds herself chuckling right along with her.

Warmth bubbles in her chest, and it is as if their laughter is contagious, each setting the other off until they practically collapse against one another, laughing breathlessly. Regina isn't even sure what they're laughing about, but she doesn't bother to think about it – she feels even more free here in this moment than when riding Rocinante.

Their laughing fit dies down eventually, leaving them red-faced and breathless, lying on their backs. Regina's arm is intertwined with Red's, and she isn't certain why this feels so good, but she doesn't dream of complaining.

"This has been the most fun I've had my whole life," Regina admits aloud, lolling her head to the side to look at Red.

The other girl glances down shyly, toward their arms. "M-me too. I don't exactly get to meet many people, and most of the ones I do are older than me, or little children."

Regina nods slowly, "Yes, I know how that is. Most of the time I'm meeting older suitors asking for my hand," she rolls her eyes. "And the few girls my age are either my maids, or obnoxious daughters of local lords or my cousins. It's quite a chore to even talk to them without wanting to pull out my hair. With you… it's been relaxing. I'm very happy I met you, Red."

Red grins jubilantly, and rolls on her side to pull Regina into a tight hug. When she let's go, Regina is blushing and happy. As evening approaches, they bid one another farewell, and promise to meet again in a week. Cora will be going to the capital each weekend, Regina knows, gaining influence among the other nobles, working toward making Regina into the queen that only Cora wants her to be.

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><p>They meet the next two weeks, earlier and in the morning, and they spend each day together romping through the woods. They pick berries again the first week, and Red begins to teach Regina about mushrooms, and how to tell them apart. Regina isn't sure she'll ever get it, especially after Red shows her a poisonous one that has the barest of visual differences from a safe one. Regina feels she'd be terrified of making a mistake and killing someone if she ever had to forage and cook with them.<p>

By the second week, many of the berries have been eaten by the wildlife, and they merely snack on them as Red leads them on a hunt for a plant called bugbane. Red's grandmother apparently spends her spare time making remedies and medicines that she sells in the village, or to people who come to her for special medicines. She needs the bugbane for a medicine to help with a woman who is having a difficult pregnancy. Regina enjoys every second of their hunt, and finds herself looking forward to the next week even as they part ways.

So it hurts the next week when she arrives at the spot they had first met, and Red is nowhere in sight. Minutes turn to hours, and still Red does not appear. Regina stands, sobbing into Rocinante's fur, and wonders what she had done wrong, what she had done to drive her new friend away. And why it hurts so much.

She realizes then that she has been falling in love with this girl who has become her best friend. And that makes it hurt all the more as she remains until evening falls and she is forced to ride back in the dark, with only the distant howls of wolves to keep her company.

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><p>She considers not going the next week, but she needs to know, to see if Red has changed her mind on whatever had kept her from coming. When she nears the fallen log – she and Rocinante trot around it after that first day – she feels her heart bounce in her chest at the sight of Red's beautiful cloak.<p>

The girl is resting against a tree, and it appears she was sleeping. The noise of Regina's arrival wakes her, and she is standing by the time Regina ties off her horse and races to her friend. She collides with Red, tacking her to the ground, her arms hugging her tightly as tears run unbidden down her cheeks.

"Red, oh Red, I was so worried that you wouldn't be here. I'm sorry for whatever I said –"

Red squeezes her tightly and Regina's next words disappear in a squeak of exhaled breath. "No, Regina, you said nothing wrong. I wanted to be here last week, but Granny would not let me leave the house. I tried to get even a few hours away, but she watched me like a hawk. It's Wolfstime, and there have been several killings of livestock the last few months near the village. They say a large and vicious wolf prowls the area. This Wolfstime, Granny wouldn't even let me set a foot outside, even to draw water from our well."

"You… you _did _want to come?" Regina asks, her voice small and unsure.

"More than anything. You're my best friend. Granny is getting worse, trying to control everything more and more. It's so frustrating, especially around Wolfstime. Sometimes I feel like a rat in a trap," Red sighs, and reaches up with a long-fingered hand to brush away one of Regina's tears. "I should have told you, even if she usually isn't that strict, so you weren't worried."

"I was," Regina admits. "I stayed here until dark. I'm just glad that you are okay, and that we're still friends."

Red's eyes softened at her admission of how long she had remained here. "Let's promise, we'll never do leave for good. We'll always come back."

"I swear it," Regina says solemnly as she grabs Red's hands and holds onto them tightly.

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><p>The next week is almost worse than Red's absence. Her mother was worse the day before than she ever has been, angry at Regina's supposed lack of effort to find a suitable suitor or keep up with her studies. Her mother's magic leaves no marks, true, but the next day the nerves in her body still scream out in agony. It is torture with every step Rocinante takes, but Regina cannot stand another week without her friend.<p>

Red knows something is wrong the moment she sees her, and questions Regina. Regina holds out only a few minutes, and gives in, unable to keep even this shameful secret from her. Red holds her gently as she sobs everything out, tells her it will be okay as Regina admits to every year of abuse – first verbal, then both verbal and physical.

They don't move from that spot all day, Red refusing to because she can see the pain each movement causes Regina. Even if it will get her a serious scolding by Granny for not collecting the mosses she was supposed to. Red doesn't look at her with pity, only with understanding and flashes of anger toward Cora.

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><p>Their first kiss happens two weeks later, and it's everything Regina ever dreamed of. They are holding hands after a long day in the forest, and Red leans closer to her for a moment, peering down at the book Regina has brought, which lies open on their laps as they read together.<p>

Regina turns her head, and her breath leaves her lungs as the rays of the sun emblazon her best friend's hair with hues of golden-brown and red where it shines through her locks. Red's eyes rise to hers, and her tongue flicks out, moistening her pink lips. The next moment they are less than an inch away from one another, sharing the same breaths.

Red's lips on hers are smooth like silk, brushing lightly against hers at first. Regina parts her own lips slowly, and curls a hand up behind Red's neck and pulls her into a firmer kiss, one that is fully returned. Their kisses that follow are tender and slow, each of them savoring the moment until their lungs interfere and they pull away gasping and wide-eyed.

Regina feels her stomach clench as she realizes what she has done. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, I should have asked you-"

Red shakes her head, and grabs Regina's hand, their palms pressed together, and interlocks her fingers with Regina's. "Don't be sorry. I've wanted to do that for a while now."

"Really?" Regina asks, her voice coming out strained.

Red doesn't answer with words, she just leans forward and kisses her again.

Regina's heart beats fast and loud enough in her ears that she imagines she could march an army with it. When Red finally pulls back, Regina looks down at their joined hands, and then up to Red's face, and knows her own grin is just as wide as her friend's.

"I've wanted it for some time as well," Regina finally says. "I do believe I've fallen in love with you, Red."

Red gasps, and her free hand rises to her heart as tears slip past the corners of her eyes. Regina finds herself flat on her back the next moment, pounced on by her friend who peppers her face with soft kisses, each one followed with a murmured "I love you too."

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><p>They are blissfully happy for the next month or so, spending much of their time kissing until their lips hurt when they aren't looking for some new medicinal plant or ingredient for a meal Granny is going to make. Then, once again, Wolfstime falls on their weekend. This time Regina rides on her own, and still visits the part of the forest that has become their own, in the off-chance that Red's grandmother lets her leave this time. But she doesn't show up by noon, and Regina spends the rest of her day exploring new parts of the forest, finding cold streams and a beautiful clearing filled with vibrant wildflowers that she plans to show Red the next they meet.<p>

Regina is frustrated as she rides out the next weekend. One of her suitors – a Duke from a foreign kingdom – has stayed longer than he had planned, and despite Cora being gone, he remains there. She finds him repulsive – not in looks, but in attitude. As she prepares to leave that morning, his lecherous speech turns to groping touch until she slaps him and calls for her father.

Prince Henry may keep silent with his wife, but here for the first time she sees him enraged, calling his guards and having the Duke dragged kicking from his lands. If only he had that fire in him around her mother. He suggests she stay home, to make sure she is okay, but she assures him she can ride, and that she needs to get away for the day. He lets her go after hugging her tightly. She can feel his apology to her for not stopping her mother, but it's just not enough.

Her mood brightens as Red comes into sight, the red-cloaked girl sitting on the fallen tree, swinging her legs. Regina dismounts, and greets her love with a hard kiss, one that Red readily returns.

When Red lets go and begins to kiss down her neck, she inhales deeply against Regina's skin. The next moment a loud growl rebounds around the clearing, and Regina jerks upright, her eyes searching the woods around them for the wolf she believes has stumbled upon them.

There is none, however, and when she looks back at Red, the girl is blushing brightly, and looking sheepish.

"Uh, sorry, I think that was me. I'm not sure where that came from, it just sorta slipped out of me."

Regina grins, and presses her forehead against Red's. "It's okay. I actually liked it. It sounded… exciting. Shall we see what other sounds I can get you to make?" She asks, dipping her mouth to Red's cheek, and then down her neck.

Red shivers against her, and threads her slender fingers into Regina's tresses. "Yes," comes a whimpered reply, but Regina is already at work on her goal.

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><p>Regina is the first to their spot a full month later. She's sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, gripping her legs until her fingers turn white, while tears run in rivers down her cheeks. She wonders how everything had gone so wrong. How could doing something good and right turn into a nightmare that threatens to tear down everything she has?<p>

Red is there before she ever hears her, slipping a comforting arm around her shoulder. She lets Regina bury her face in the beautiful red cloak and cry until it is soaked. She slowly and gently coaxes the story from Regina's numb lips.

Regina tells her of the adorable and frightened girl that she rescued from the back of a runaway horse. Of the short time in which she befriended the girl. Of the fact that she was the daughter of King Leopold of the White Kingdom. Of Leopold, a man twice her age, asking for her hand in marriage, and of her mother's acceptance of the marriage proposal without even listening to her daughter.

'_You will be Queen, Regina_' has become her refrain, not caring in the least that Regina wants no such thing.

"I'm sorry, Red, I've ruined everything for us. I don't know why I'm being punished so for saving that girl."

Red's fingers stroke Regina's cheeks, and she smiles a watery smile. "Regina… I had hoped to do this in a few weeks' time when I worked up the nerve."

Red reaches down, and lifts her skirt. Regina's eyes widen for a moment until she realizes she is digging in the leg of her boot. The woman's fingers come out grasping a small leather pouch. "I've been carrying it there since yesterday, I didn't want to lose it or for Granny to find it. I've been saving up the money she gives me to spend in town, and I… I bought this for you."

Red opens the pouch, and a silver ring bounces out onto her palm. Regina isn't sure if she can breathe, or if she is simply not feeling her chest move, as she stares at it, and raises her gaze to the hopeful visage of Red.

Red fiddles with the ring, bringing it from her palm to her fingers, and then grasps Regina's hand. "Regina, I've loved you since I met you. You've brought me more joy than I think I can ever handle. We don't need to stay here and let our families dictate our lives. This ring is my promise to you that I will never leave you, and that I am willing to leave my life behind and run away with you, far from their reach. Will you accept it?"

Regina feels Red's hand tremble against hers, and she nods blindly through tears to the younger woman. "Yes. Yes. I will go with you always, Red," she says, and Red slips the cool metal of the ring on her finger. It is only after trying her eyes that she sees the small blood-red ruby in its setting.

Regina removes the ring, and turns it in her fingers, a smile of wonder on her face when she sees a small engraving on the inside of the band: _R&R _

She scavenges a leather string from spare length she keeps in her saddlebag, and loops it through the ring and ties it into a necklace. "I cannot wear this on my hand until we leave," she explains softly, "so I will keep it here."

Red nods, and grins toothily, reaching out to rest her hand against where it hangs down to. Right above her heart.

"We will need to run soon. I fear what my mother might do if she finds out about you, let alone this," Regina says, settling her hand on top of Red's.

"I can be ready quickly. We could even leave when we are to meet in a week," Red says. "But where shall we go?"

Regina sighs as her mind races through the options. If they remain too close, her mother can have them hunted down and hauled back – Regina to her upcoming prison of a marriage and Red to a prison cell or worse. Her eyes light up as she recalls something she has read, perhaps only shortly before their first meeting.

"Red, I know of a place. It is a land far from here, across the northern seas. I read of it in one of my books. It is a place where we could be legally wed, if we wish, unlike so many kingdoms here. I can get us enough money to leave by this next weekend, and buy us passage on a ship."

Red's eyes are alight with joy, and she pulls Regina to her, nuzzling her neck. "We're really doing this," she whispers, almost disbelieving, lips against Regina's skin.

"We are."

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><p>Regina isn't sure how she found out. Their plan works flawlessly – they meet in the woods, and Regina takes her to her home. They are careful to not be seen in the low light of the night, and they make it into the stables, where a second horse has been readied for Red.<p>

Then Cora comes, her eyes flashing, her voice raised in anger, looking in disgust at the woman Regina loves. Regina is not sure how long she argues with her, shouts and defends Red against her mother, until finally her mother seems to relent, seems to finally accept that this is who she loves and wishes to be with.

She even has a moment in which she thinks her mother might truly have changed, as the woman pulls Red into a hug, and tells her that there is a lesson that she needs to impart on her. "You always needs to do what's best for your children," Regina hears her say. She realizes just how evil her mother truly is the next minute, as her hand plunges deep into Red's chest and encircles her heart.

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><p>Cora's arrogance is her downfall. She thinks herself the most powerful sorceress in the land. But she doesn't know all. Had happened upon the right book, she might have known, and not made her mistake. The essence of the werewolf is in its heart. And the werewolf – especially a werewolf with pure love for another, for its lifemate – won't stand for anyone trying to destroy that.<p>

Sickening cracks of bones reshaping, and tearing of flesh and clothing to reshape a body fill the air, and Cora finds her hand trapped in the chest of a woman who is fast turning into a creature many still consider legend. It is over in moments, as – on the night of the new moon – the enormous wolf bursts out from under the red cloak that had once contained it, and rends her throat.

Regina stares in a mix of horror and wonder as the wolf's blood-soaked muzzle turns toward her. A frisson of fear jolts down her spine when a low growl escapes its snarling lips, and she slowly lowers herself to her knees, her hands out in supplication.

"Red, please, it's me, Regina. Be calm, I won't harm you. I know you would never be able to live with yourself if you hurt me while you're like this."

The wolf's brown-furred head cocks to the side, and then it slowly moves toward her, nose sniffing each step of the way, until it is right next to her, massive and deadly.

She closes her eyes as its snout nears her face, but after a moment she only feels its hot breath against her nose. When she opens her eyes again, she finds herself staring straight into the yellow eyes of the wolf. It whines, and sits in front of her, and as she gazes into its eyes, it is as if she can see Red herself in them.

And the next moment, after several loud and rather unsettling sounds, she _is_ there, kneeling in front of her, as nude as the day she was born, with blood smeared across her face.

"Oh God," she whimpers. "I- I didn't know. I didn't know I was… I am... Granny, she lied to me all this time. The wolf that terrorized the livestock, was _me_."

Her shoulder jerks away when Regina tries to touch it, and then she seems to notice the warm, drying blood on her mouth, because the next moment, she is doubled over, heaving into the hay-covered ground.

Regina's hand moves to her back, and rubs in wide circles as the woman she loves sobs and scrubs desperately at her bloody skin. Her gaze moves over to her mother, the woman who was supposed to love her, to care for her, to support her. The woman lying there was not that person, perhaps never had been that person, and while a part of her soul weeps for the loss of that ideal figure, the rest of her feels no sadness for the death of the woman who has hurt her for so long, and tried to take away the one person she loves more than anything.

Regina rises and grabs a horse blanket from one of the racks nearby, and carefully cleans Red's face and hands, removing the blood, until no speck is visible. "Come, Red, we must leave. It would not do to be found in the stables with her."

Red jerks back from the arm placed around her shoulder. "No! How… how can you be so calm! I just killed someone, in front of you – your own mother! I could have killed _you_. I'm a monster, Regina," she sobs.

Regina grabs her chin, and kneels down, straddling a leg on either side of the vulnerable young woman. "Red, my love, I am not calm. I am scared and upset. Mostly that this had to happen to you. Yes, you killed her. You defended yourself. She's abused me all my life, and she was about to kill the one thing I love more than anything. You're not a monster, Red. You're unique and beautiful, even more than I could have imagined."

After she tries to fight Regina's grip on her face for several long moments, Red seems to collapse against her. "But Regina, I could have hurt you. I.. I can't-"

Regina shakes her head, and fishes the leather cord from under her shirt. She rips at the knotted cord with her teeth until it comes undone, and slides the ring it had held onto her finger. "This was your pledge that you would never leave me. And I promised I will go with you always. I will not break that promise, Red. You could have harmed me, but you did not. I could see you in the wolf, and I know that you recognized me. You won't hurt me."

Red nods slowly, and sinks down against Regina, into her embrace. "I love you, Regina. Thank you… for reminding me."

Long minutes pass, and Regina knows that they are at risk each further minute that goes by. She gently eases Red up, and walks over to their saddlebags. She finds the trousers and shirt that she asked Red to ensure she packed plenty of, and she returns to her side and helps her dress in them.

Regina gathers her red cloak, and folds it small enough to fit into the saddlebag where the clothes had come from. She guides the Red to her horse and helps her mount it, and then leaps onto Rocinante, leading her from the stable and out into the dark night.

"We're… we're still doing this?" Red asks, her voice small and unsure. Regina can hear the fear of rejection in it, despite what she'd said to her earlier.

She reaches out, letting go of her reigns for a moment, and grasps Red's hand, stroking her thumb across the back of it. "Yes, my love, we're still doing this. Nothing has changed that."

Red shudders out a breath. "Together?"

"Always."

Regina watches her from the corner of her eye as they urge the horses to move faster. She knows that the guilt of killing someone will haunt Red for a long time, but she won't let her face it alone. She looks out at the road ahead of them, and knows that they can build a new life, far away from this wretched land, and as long as she has Red, she will never want for anything else.

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><p><em><strong>AN**__: Alright, hope you guys enjoyed my first RedQueen Week entry (squeaked in just before the end of the day). I won't be writing for all of the days but I have one planned for tomorrow (Day Four: Family), and probably will have one out for the 'Smut' theme day. If you're interested and haven't heard about the week yet, you can find it on tumbler with the hashtag _Red Queen Week, _and all of the fics that have been written for it thus far will pop up for you (there's some really good stuff out there, and this is a great way to encourage more Ruby/Regina fics)._

_Anyway, see you guys around, and leave me some feedback if you can, let me know what you thought of the story._


	2. The Spirit Of A Wolf

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any related characters. They all belong to Disney/ABC and their affiliated partners. I write this only for my enjoyment (and hopefully yours).**_

_**A/N:**__ (trying again) Well, looks like I loaded the wrong document last time and it was just a repost of chapter 1, so here's the actual chapter 2 of this story, my fifth entry (oneshot) for Red Queen Week, for Day 7: Magic day. I got a lot of good feedback on my The Heart of A Wolf oneshot, and had an idea to continue it making it a twoshot here, following the theme of day 7. I won't rule out future installments of this (short drabbles or oneshots set after this or even between these two stories or even before the first one perhaps, depending on what my muse is feeling like), but I can't make any promises on when.._

_This is set five years after the events of The Heart Of A Wolf, after they have reached the land they had made for, and settled into new lives there. Pretty much just a snapshot of a few days in the lives they have built, and a discovery Regina makes. Enjoy!_

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_**The Spirit Of A Wolf**_

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><p>A loud, drunken cheer echoes across the already noisy tavern. Regina looks up from the thick leather-bound book she is writing in, and sees a trio of drunken men patting one another on the back as several more scowl at them. Mugs of ale are clutched in their hands as they return to their game of dice. <em>Hazard<em>, from what Regina can tell from across the tavern – it was one of the more popular dice games among the townsfolk of Sarpenic.

Regina's gaze sweeps the large building, alert for any brewing discontent or fight. At some tables, men and women play other dice games, or sit around playing card games. A few tables along the edge of the room have been set up for _Nine Men's Morris_, were some older residents of the town are partaking in ale and cider as they play. At the far end of the room, Regina sees several young men – perhaps barely Red's age of twenty-one – playing at the newest addition to the tavern: a custom-made skittles table.

Aside from the many games, she sees many tables where there is eating and drinking, quiet discussions over books or unfolded parchments and maps. Another cheer erupts from the _Hazard_ game, and she sees the angered expressions on the faces of those who have lost yet again.

She purses her lips, and places her quill into its holder. She turns toward the kitchen, just in time to see her wife exit. Red is carrying a large platter of food – vegetables and mutton – with several trenchers of bread on the ends. Regina smiles at the sight of her, dressed in a dark red skirt and white peasant blouse, her hair pulled back.

Red raises an eyebrow as she passes Regina, so Regina nods her head toward the increasingly rowdy game. "I fear a fight may be in the cards," she murmurs, and Red nods in understanding, fixing her eyes on the group.

"I'll keep an eye on them. If they get worse, I'll go and get Lancelot." She says as she walks into the tavern proper and serves the platter to a table.

Regina purses her lips. Red is more than capable of handling a bar fight, and has in the past, but she knows her wife does not like to intervene or hurt others unless she needs to. Lancelot is one of the first customers to every come to their tavern, and has become a close friend of Red and herself.

He is a kind man, a knight who yearns for a seat at the Round Table of King Arthur, ruler of the land. He lives in the town, with the kingdom having no need for his services as of late, in the midst of a rare peace with their neighboring kingdoms. He works for them now, as a guard for their tavern, and deals with unruly customers and removes those who need removing. He also hunts in the surrounding forest, and much of the game he brings back – along with what Red occasionally brings down in her wolf form – is used in their meals every day.

Regina turns back to her book, marking down the cost of their latest barrels of ale and cider. This last year was quite successful in regards to their income.

After their escape, things were difficult for them. Much of their money was spent booking passage on a ship to take them to this land of Camelot. The work once they arrived was sometimes hard to find, and often difficult, but neither Regina nor Red complained. So long as they returned at the end of the day to each other, they were well satisfied with their lives.

Two years after arriving in the land, they happened upon this town of Sarpenic, and an opportunity presented itself. The owner of this tavern passed away, and the building was to be sold, having fallen into disrepair and poor reputation. Using nearly all of their savings – the small amount of money that remained after paying for the ship, and the money they saved working over the next two years – Regina and Red purchased the tavern to run together.

The first year was the worst, with the need to refurbish the building so that it looked nice and inviting to anyone who visits, and then repair the reputation of the establishment among the local populace. Red claims it is Regina's cooking, and the contracts she obtained with the local ale and cider makers, that has made it possible. Whatever the cause, the improvements in the tavern and glowing recommendations from their first customers have led to a large increase in business. Their second year brought them well above breaking even, and this year they are making a very hefty profit for their services.

Regina glances across the room at her wife, and watches the firelight and candlelight glint off the ring on her finger. After several years of struggle, this last year, on the anniversary of Red presenting Regina with her own ring, Regina had sought out a ring-maker in town, and commissioned a piece identical to hers, except with a deep purple amethyst set into it, rather than the ruby in Regina's own – their favorite colors represented on their one another's hand. Red had wept at the gesture, and not removed it since.

Regina looks up as a cry fills the air, and one of the displeased men slams his mug of ale into the face of one of the men as they win yet again. Red is bounding over, weaving through tables effortlessly, and she yanks the attacker away, and pins him to the wall, his feet inches off the ground.

One of his friends move try to stop Red, but Lancelot has already heard the exclamation and is inside the tavern, and pulls the man away. He puts up a small fight until he sees just how tall and muscled Lancelot is, and sees the sword at his hip. Red turns, nods in thanks to their friend, and releases the man she pinned.

She prowls over to the table, and Regina feels a shiver go through her at just how beautifully wolf-like she is in that moment. Red grabs the dice, and rolls them several times before fixing the men who had been winning with a glare.

"Loaded dice?" She says in a low growl. "Get out. Find somewhere else to cheat - it's not tolerated here. And give these men their money back."

They try to protest, but Lancelot moving up behind Red, a glare on his face, sees them giving their winnings to the men they cheated, and leaving as swiftly as possible. Red turns to the man she had pinned, then. "No fighting, Albert. You know the rules. I do not want to see you back here for the next week. You know damn well you could have come to us if you thought they were cheating."

Regina hears the man mumble something, and then grab his money and walk to the entrance of the tavern. Red rights several of the chairs, and then walks back toward Regina, Lancelot following behind her. Behind her the tavern returns to its normal noise level as people stop watching and go back to their games and food and drink.

"Thank you," Regina says, as Lancelot nears.

He nods. "My pleasure, Regina," his grin is bright and white and contrasts well against his dark skin. He stands there for a moment longer, running his gloved hand over the stubble on his head that has grown in since he last shaved it smooth. "I'd heard that one of the inns had to kick some men out for the same thing last night – they're likely the same men, moving on to try to not be caught the next time."

"Imbeciles," Regina snorts, glancing once more over the tavern to be sure no new drunken fights will erupt.

Red moves to stand next to Regina, her elbows resting on the bar in front of her, and Regina places her palm across the middle of Red's back. She can feel the trembling of her muscles, and shifts her hand in circles on the other woman's back.

Lancelot glances across the room, and nods to a man who is trying to gain his attention. "Excuse me, an old friend of mine, Bors the Younger, is in town," he says apologetically.

Regina waves him off. "Go; do not let us keep you from him. Perhaps introduce him to us sometime before he leaves."

He smiles and bows slightly to them, before moving across the room to his friend.

Regina still feels Red trembling beneath her hand, and leans closer. "Relax, love. You did well."

Red releases a shaking breath, and turns her head so her nose is close enough to rest against Regina's shoulder. Regina knows she is inhaling her scent as she always does when upset, and she can feel the other woman's tension melt out of her as she does so.

"Thank you, my heart," Red murmurs, so quiet Regina almost misses it in the chaos of the tavern.

Regina presses a kiss to her brow, and pulls back. "Clean up in the kitchen. I can handle the rest of the night out here, and if there is trouble, Lancelot will be right there."

Red nods, and inhales against Regina once more. "Call me if you need me," she says, and then is gone, through the kitchen door. It is her sanctuary within the tavern, a place she is able to go and work hard enough that she does not have to think about anything else. And after her wolf emerges into her like it just did, it is something she needs.

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><p>That night she holds Red in her arms until she falls asleep, as Regina reads by candlelight. Her love of books has endured even through the changes in their lives, and with more money to their name with their current success, she can afford to indulge in more texts and writings. She reads everything from literature and poetry from Camelot and beyond, to essays and theses on business practices.<p>

The latter is helpful, to some extent, in giving her new ideas for their business – at the moment she and Red are considering purchasing a small apple orchard and accompanying cider mill near the edge of town, if they can find the right people to run it. With that, their purchasing costs for cider from other businesses in the area and in nearby cities, will drop, and give them a further personal touch for the tavern.

But she had been drawn to the tavern because of the things she knew best, things that no books had taught her. Perhaps the only thing she could find it in her heart to be grateful to Cora for. Cora had taught her – engraved it into her brain – how to run a lord's or king's household and kingdom, how to manage finances and plan events and find the best prices and know when someone was trying to cheat you. While the noble men of the kingdom put on airs and appearances of running things, and were the ones that went out to sign treaties and declare wars, it was the women behind them who ensured their lands and household did not fall into destitution and disrepute.

It had helped her greatly in starting their establishment and getting it to the stable ground they were now at. They are now the most popular tavern in town, and Regina knows that at least one proprietor lost enough business to them that it led him to leave the town.

Regina flips another page in her book – an old tome bought from a shop in town – about the legends and history of werewolves. She has found the topic intriguing since discovering the woman she loves _is_ one, and has devoured all the texts she can find on the subject.

Her eyes widen as they run down the next page, at the description of a magic spell, a ritual to create a totem with a powerful effect. One that she thinks may just help Red with Wolfstime. A look at the ingredients and components tells her she can gather them all tomorrow, and perhaps create it before the beginning of the Wolfstime that evening.

For some time she has avoided the idea of magic, it being too wedded to the evils of her mother. But she knows there is good magic out there. Their first Wolfstime together after escaping made that clear, when they realized the red cloak Granny had given her was filled with powerful magic and prevented most of her transformations – other than the one that had ended Cora's life.

And here in Camelot, unlike the lands they left behind, magic is practiced by many, both good and bad. The King's own closest confidante is one of the most powerful white sorcerers in all the realms. This, however, will be the first spell she has ever tried to perform. She marks the page, closes the book setting it to the side, and leans down to blow out her candle.

Regina stops the next moment as she feels Red's lithe body tense against hers, and feels a familiar quake in her breathing as it speeds up. When her arms and legs begin to jerk about, Regina rolls back and embraces her firmly, shaking her body and calling her name until finally she breaks from the grasp of her nightmare.

She gasps as she wakes, and when she realizes who is holding her, clutches Regina to her with as much strength as she can bear.

Regina is silent, allowing her wife to calm, only holding her and stroking the back of her head, threading fingers through her sweaty hair. She knows that this close to Wolfstime, especially after what happened in the bar, Red often has these nightmares, dreams of that fateful night in the stable, of her teeth tearing through Cora's neck.

It is only when Red finally pulls back slightly, and looks up at her with that vulnerable look still lingering in her beautiful green eyes, that Regina speaks.

"Would you like to talk about it?" She always asks this – never demands – and more often than not, Red speaks about what her dream has been about.

Red's long fingers toy with the front of Regina's nightgown for several quiet minutes before she speaks, wetting her dry lips as she does so.

"Another nightmare about _her_." She shudders, pressing her hands to Regina's chest, above her heart as if to be soothed by the feel of it. "I've never had this one before. Usually it's her tearing out my heart and taking you away, or her tearing out your heart."

A tear rolls down Red's cheek as she swallows heavily. "This one, I… I turned into the wolf, only I a-attacked _you_. I couldn't stop myself, I could only watch as it… as I killed you."

Regina's gaze softens, and she slides her hands up to cup her wife's pale cheeks. "It was a nightmare. I am here, and you did not harm me, nor will you ever."

Red nods desperately into her hands, and presses her lips to one of Regina's palms, before she slips them down until they are resting on the pulse point on Regina's wrist just beneath her thumb. She glances up with hesitant eyes, until she reads Regina's approval in her face, and then turns until her back is pushes firmly into Regina. She held tight to Regina's hand, keeping herself pressed against Regina's pulse both behind her and on her wrist, reassuring herself that she is alive.

It surprisingly isn't that long before Regina feels Red sink back into sleep, though still holding onto her arm with a death grip. Regina awkwardly reaches back with the arm she is lying on, and pinches the flame of the candle out, leaving the room only illuminated by the nearly full moon.

She worries every time for her wife with her dreams at this time of the month, but this latest one is a new development – previously her dreams alternated between the same scenarios, and this one has never been one of them before. She glances heavenward, thanking the gods that she has found something - a spell that may finally soothe Red's fears and dreams.

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><p>Red is already out of bed the next morning when Regina awakes, though she can feel the wrinkled flesh on her wrist where the moisture from Red's mouth being on it all night had pruned it up. It is slightly painful as she gets up, but she knows she will allow Ruby to do it again, any time she needs that reassurance.<p>

Regina straightens out their bed sheets, and pads over on bare feet to their shared bathroom. Red is bathing in their small tub, and no doubt she has been up for some time heating the water to fill it. She looks up at Regina, and her cheeks flush visibly before looking back down as she scrubs at her body. Regina says nothing of her embarrassment – clearly about the night before – and merely plants a warm kiss on her head before getting ready for her day.

After dressing, and teasing her hair into place, and a light breakfast of bread and porridge, Regina bids Red farewell, promising to be back by the afternoon. Outside the morning is bright and warming well, but there is still enough of a chill in the air for her to wrap her shawl tighter around herself.

Much of the morning is spent visiting a local apothecary and several other stores to gather everything she needs for her plan. Afterwards, she visits the local market and spends several hours speaking with the merchants she knows, and introducing herself to new visitors to learn their prices and what they are offering.

When she leaves, her arms are full of brilliantly colored vegetables, freshly baked breads, and cloth packages filled with spices. Red is not at the tavern when Regina returns, likely still upstairs in the attached home that they live in. Regina places most of her purchases in the kitchen, and hurries out of the darkened tavern with her book and her ingredients. The woods are nearby, and she travels to her favorite clearing, a flat meadow interrupted by only a few lone trees.

She removes everything she needs – her items range from wolf hairs to sulfur – and sets to work forming the totem. She knows the price of the spell is high – the loss of her fertility – but she has no plans to ever bear a child, not when she and Red know they can find many unwanted children to give a home should they wish to someday. Neither will break their relationship for the purpose of using a man to provide them with a child.

So she weaves out her talisman from grasses and twigs, and sets them in front of her to begin the ritual.

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><p>Their evening at the tavern is nearly as rowdy as the night before, but fortunately no actual fights break out. Regina prefers the months when Wolfstime falls on the weekdays like this. Their hours of business are shorter than on weekends, and it allows her to leave early with her wife, and be there for her as she transforms.<p>

Regina closes the door of the tavern, and fastens it, before turning to the red-cloaked Ruby, who is staring at her in consternation.

"Regina…" Red begins to say softly, reaching out to grab her hands, and stroke her palms with her delicate fingers. "Perhaps you should stay home tonight."

"Red…" Regina's voice is low, her eyes sharp with a warning that her wife ignores.

"Please, stay home tonight. That dream… I fear it coming true. I could not bear it if that happened. Please…."

Regina tightens her fingers down over Red's, holding them firmly in place. "No, my love. I will be with you tonight as I am every night. You will not harm me. I promise you that."

Red's eyes glisten with tears in the moonlight as it shines down under her hood, and her head finally sags into a defeated nod. Regina releases one of her hands, and holds tight to the other as they venture into the forest. Regina lifts that nervous, jittering hand to her mouth every so often as they walk, and presses soothing kisses to Red's fingertips and the back of her hand.

They reach their favorite clearing – where Regina had worked magic earlier that day – and stand at its center.

"You're the idiot this time," Red tells her fondly, but Regina can see her biting her lip in anxiety.

"I may well be," Regina replies, "but that is what makes us the perfect pair."

Red reaches into her cloak, to a pocket sewn deep inside, and when her hands emerge, they are cradling a small silver dagger. She presses it into Regina's palm. "If you will not leave, you must promise if I lose control, that you will use this. Even if only to hurt me enough to drive me away from you."

Regina feels an ache in her chest as she takes it, knowing that even if Red were to turn on her, she could never bring herself to use it.

Regina opens her mouth to speak, her hand already reaching into her pocket for the totem she made, when Red unfastens her red cloak and throws it off her shoulders. It is a beautiful and gruesome sight as her wife transforms, as her skeleton and skin reshape themselves in bursts of action and brief pauses. Regina has become used to the sight, and within seconds it is done, and the shaggy brown-furred form of her wife is standing in front of her on all fours, her yellow eyes looking up at her with surprise and relief.

Regina smiles, and kneels down next to her, stroking her head, running her nails along her fur. Red takes that opportunity to leap and tackle her to the ground, licking her wildly on the chin and cheeks as Regina laughs gaily. When Red finally lets her up, Regina is trying to catch her breath, and she is sure she's grinning like a fool.

Red yowls, and then turns, starting to run off toward the forest. She is halted only by Regina's shout of her name. She looks back, and obeys Regina's gesture to return.

Regina kneels down, removing her outer coat, and placing her bag on the ground. "Red, I have a gift for you. I hope you will like it," she said, trailing her fingers down Red's muzzle.

She pulls out the totem, shaped into a curved triangular form with a tuft of wolf hair emerging from its center, and hangs it over her neck by a leather cord – much like the one that once held her ring. She murmurs the phrase to activate its magic, and feels the cool blue light of it wash over her body.

A cry of pain rips from her lips as the process begins, but no more escape her after as her own body shifts. She can hear the cracking and grinding of her bones, feel the vibrations, but her body feels like wet dough. Her legs shorten, and she drops down onto her hands, watching with fascination as her fingers shorten, and dark nails sprout from them, even as she feels her face elongate, and fur begin to sprout across her body.

It takes longer than Red's transformations, but after what must be three minutes or more, she finds herself staring down her fully formed muzzle, which is covered in sable fur. In front of her is the slightly larger form of her wife, her wolf eyes comically wide and her lower jaw dropped open with her tongue lolling out.

Regina tries to say something, forgetting for a moment, and it comes out as a softy bark. She tentatively takes a step forward, and nearly falls. Red moves closer, her nose snuffling curiously as Regina learns how to work her legs, how to walk. The spell must have some sort of wolf brain or instinct that forms when she transforms, she realizes, because she begins to pad around and rapidly becomes used to this new form of locomotion.

All the while, Red is following her, sniffing her, moving to her side when it looks like she will fall over. Her sniffing prompts Regina to do the same, and a dizzying array of scents fill her brain. The smell of a grasshopper a few feet away; the warm scent of Red's wolf form next to her, and concentrated on the discarded red cloak; the smell of manure on the wind from a stable down the hill; the delicious aroma of their own tavern, now closed for the night.

Regina realizes her hearing has become sharp as well, and she finds herself hearing the soft rustle of bugs and mice and birds throughout the clearing; and the neighing of the same horses she had smelled.

Regina finally cocks her head toward Red, and begins a slow lope across the field toward the woods, which Red quickly matches, even as she speeds up slightly, learning quickly how to run. In the woods, she only falls once, skidding through the dirt when her hind legs catch slightly on a log that she tries to vault over. Red turns around and comes back, searching her for injuries before urging her back to her feet with several licks of her tongue.

Regina feels a thrill run through her, and breaks out into a run, her reflexes heightened and her eyes aware of everything in front of her. Red matches her move for move, running alongside her, dodging around trees only to return once again, occasionally nipping at Regina to urge her on.

Regina is panting lightly when they reach the peak of a large wooded hill, but when Red tilts her head up and howls mightily toward the moon, Regina finds a howl leaving her own throat. And then she realizes there is something different about Red's howl as her wife repeats it – the soft aftertone of sadness that she often heard lace her howls on nights like these, has disappeared.

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><p>They are breathless and bone-tired by the time the moon sets and the first rays of the sun begin to appear. They managed to make it back to the clearing, and Regina focuses on triggering her transformation just as Red begins hers. Once again it takes longer, but in minutes she finds herself wrapped up firmly in Red's arms as she sobs into her shoulder.<p>

"H-how? Regina, how?" She manages to make out through her jagged breaths.

"I found it yesterday, Red. A way to use magic and transform myself into a wolf. I am not a true werewolf like you – I need this totem to transform – but I can run with you every Wolfstime now. I… you know I don't like magic even now, but this was something I felt I _had_ to do."

Red's eyes and cheeks are wet as she raises her head, and slides her slick cheek against Regina's, nuzzling her much like they had several times in their wolf forms. "Thank you," she whispers. "You amaze me every day, my heart. Every time I think I know how wonderful you are, and how much you love me, you surprise me. I… Until tonight I did not even realize there was a small part of my heart that longed for something, but tonight you found it and filled it. You are my _pack_, Regina."

Regina splays her fingers along the curve of Red's cheek, and places a tender kiss to her lips. "Thank you for letting me be that. For asking me to run with you from my mother, and for loving me. I felt it tonight as well, us becoming even more. A pack, as you said."

Red giggles and rubs her nose against Regina's as she places a hand over her heart. "Maybe I'll stop being an idiot now, hmm?"

Regina's lips curve, and press against her lover's chin. "I don't believe I would make such an ambitious claim quite yet, dear. You'll always be my silly wolf, Red."

Red closes her eyes as the sun hits them, and tilts her head back, smiling as she lets her fingers untangle bits of twigs and brambles from Regina's long hair. "Well, now I've got one of my own."

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__Alright folks, hope you enjoyed that, and had a fun RedQueen week. If you haven't already, check out the RedQueenWeek Tumblr page, where they've reblogged all of the fanfics this week (some of them are Tumblr only fics, so they won't have shown up on Fanfiction or ArchiveOfOurOwn, and I read a number of quite excellent ones that are Tumblr-only this week)._

_I've still got plans for more Once Upon A Time oneshots (RedQueen and SwanQueen, perhaps even a RedBeauty at some point) and a chaptered RedSwanQueen fic, and I'm working on my ongoing DC universe fic, but posting won't come as often as it did for this Week, which has been tough to keep up with._

_Let me know what you thought! :)_


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